Man of the House Ch. 08

Erin looked at the text from her best friend Megan, a response to the text she had sent a moment before.

Erin: "Nutmeg, sorry bout 2day. Talk tomorrow? Lunch?"

Megan: "K. My house at 12. Sorry back. :( "

Erin replied once more. "Cool. 12"

So it was on. She slid off her bed and knocked on her mom's door.

"Come in," her mom said, somewhat subdued with Cory lying asleep next to her. Erin pushed the door open and eased in, returning her mother's smile. Her mom had the laptop open and resting on her bent knees as she sat propped up against two pillows at the headboard. "Hey, sweetie," she said. "What's going on?"

Erin sat on the bed by Michelle's legs. "Nothing really. I just wanted to talk to you about what happened with Megan. I don't want us to keep any secrets."

"Oh." Her mother sounded concerned, closing the laptop. "Okay?"

"Well...um..."

"It's all right, baby doll. You can tell me anything." Michelle placed her hand on her daughter's knee, compassion in her voice and touch.

"I texted Megan and we're meeting at her house tomorrow at noon. I'm going to try and settle this thing from earlier." She took a deep breath. "And I'm a little bit scared."

"Why are you scared?"

"Because I don't know where it's going to go. She could believe me and drop it, or she could doubt me and keep her eyes open for a hint at what's really going on. I just don't want you to be in the dark about it in case it derails and we have to make a decision." She bit her bottom lip as she searched her mother's face for a response.

"A decision as to whether we should stop? Or we should let her in on it? Or we should just be more careful? What? What kind of decision are you thinking?" her mom asked.

"I guess just those things. I don't know."

"Honey, do you want to stop so Megan doesn't get suspicious?"

"No! That's just it. I don't want to stop. I love this. I love what we're doing. I love how our family is closer now, and not just sexually, but emotionally. I don't want to lose this." Her eyes started tearing up as she talked.

"Oh, sweetie," Michelle soothed, leaning into her daughter and pulling her toward her as she talked, Erin lying down on her mother's chest, her head on her shoulder. Michelle stroked her hair as the blonde cried lightly, her mother's eyes filling with tears as she spoke. "I don't think any of us want this to stop. I have to admit that this is not how I imagined my relationship with my adult children, but I can't deny that you're right. We are closer. This house is overflowing with love and peace like it's never known. We laugh and love and hug. We play. We have family dinners... You're right, Erin; it's not purely sexual. This house is safe for the first time ever and I want to do whatever it takes to keep that." She kissed her daughter on the top of her head and pulled her back to an upright position. Erin wiped at her eyes.

"So," her mother asked her, "What do you want from me?"

Erin smiled. "I think I just got what I wanted. I know now that I just have to protect all this." She looked around the room with her arms outstretched. "This is our family, our safe place. And as much as I love Megan, I think ultimately she would be a threat to what we have."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stick to our story. I'll try to make up with her, but I won't let her in on our secret. She and I can still have our friendship and the benefits that brings with it," she smiled, bringing a return smile and nod from her mother, "But as far as letting her know what we're doing, I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Okay, I agree." Michelle looked over at her son and asked his sister, "So what does that mean for him?"

"I think I'll encourage Megan to sniff around somewhere else, but if Cory wants to sleep with her, that's his call. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Okay," her mom nodded.

"Soooo....what are you working on so late?" Erin asked, nodding toward the laptop on the bed at her mother's hip.

"Oh! Just a..." she shrugged, looking embarrassed. "Just one of my stories."

"Really? Can I see it?"

"Not now," she laughed quietly. "It's not finished yet!"

"Can you at least give me a preview? Tell me what it's about?"

Michelle searched the ceiling for her answer, but after a second she nodded and smiled. "It's about a mother catching her children having sex. It's a little different than my other stories."

"Go on," Erin said. "Tell me more."

"Oh, I just write as I go. I don't know where it's going yet. My stories just unfold organically."

"What's happened so far?" She was persistent.

"Okay, just briefly. I don't want to ruin everything." She cleared her throat. "There's a snow storm coming so the mother's office sends everyone home early so they can beat the storm. She doesn't think about calling home to tell her kids, so she walks into the house and hears them upstairs. She doesn't know what that sound is, so she follows it to her daughter's room. There...on the bed...her children have their backs to the door and her daughter's pussy is spread wide open, slick with her juices. She is on her hands and knees and her brother is above her, drilling her ass as she cries out."

They were both getting worked up. Erin rubbed her thigh as she said, "That is so hot, mom!"

"You think so?"

"Oh, my god, you have no idea. What happens next?"

"I don't...I'm not quite sure. The mother is upset, obviously, but I haven't worked out her response yet."

"How do you think you're going to do it?"

She looked down at her hands, which were idly playing with the sheet, and cleared her throat again. "Promise you won't laugh."

"I promise, mom. Hand up." She raised her right hand to confirm her promise.

"I'm trying to decide between them forcing her to watch while she's in bondage, or the mother teaching the son a lesson by using a strap-on on him."

"Fuck, mom, either one of those would be fucking hot!" Erin spread her legs so she could more readily stroke herself through her blue cotton panties.

"Can I ask you a question, Erin?" her mother asked as she watched her daughter masturbate through her panties.

"Anything," she breathed.

"Have you ever been tied up for sex?"

"No. But I've kind of always wanted to try it."

"Me, too. Kind of." Michelle blushed.

"Do you, uh...do you think [Erin pointed at her brother] would go for being pegged?"

Her mother looked confused. "Pegged."

"Pegging is when a guy is fucked in the ass with a dildo." She smiled as she said it.

"Oh, god, I don't know. I doubt it. " She shook her head emphatically to make her point.

"I was just wondering. You know, some guys like having their prostate massaged while they get sucked or jerked off. It's supposed to make the orgasm more intense."

"Really?!"

"That's what they say. Think about it, mom. They have the same nerve endings we do back there. It only makes sense."

"Yeah, I guess it does. Hmm, maybe I should write it into the story and see what kind of response it gets," Michelle wondered.

"Even better," whispered Erin, "I'll have him read it to me while I suck him off again and I'll stick my finger in when he gets to the part where someone does it in the story. Then we'll see how he really feels about it." She giggled after she said it, clapping excitedly and quietly, bringing a quiet laugh from her mother.

"That sounds like a good plan!"

"Okay, you work on it and let me know when the story is finished and I'll take it from there."

"Deal!"

Erin looked at the clock and noted that it was past midnight. "Oh! I need to let you sleep. I'm sorry." She kissed her mother on the lips and slid off the bed. "Good night, mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, baby girl. See you tomorrow."

"'Kay." Erin slipped out the door and Michelle set her laptop on the nightstand before turning out the light, her mind drifting to the fantasy mix of her characters and her real family. By the time she finally fell asleep, she had the skeleton of a working scene in her mind.

At just a few minutes before noon Megan opened the door, nervous at the greeting she would receive from her best (or former best?) friend. She was relieved when the blonde stepped through the door and hugged her like she always had, a smile in her voice as she greeted her.

"Hello, beautiful," she lilted.

"Hey, blondie." She hugged her friend back and sighed with relief at the first indication that their friendship may be on track after all.

Erin pulled away and immediately began, "I'm so, so sorry about yesterday. I totally overreacted." She didn't even get the first few words out before Megan began shaking her head emphatically.

"No, no. I'M sorry. I never should have gone into his room and I certainly never should have doubted what you told me about the two of you. I trust you and I think I was calling you a liar when I accused you guys of having sex."

Erin nodded quietly. Megan reached behind her and closed the door. "Come on," she said, "Let's get something to drink." Erin nodded and followed her into the kitchen where her little brunette friend poured some tea and heated some queso in the microwave before picking up a bag of chips and carrying the chips and queso down to the basement rec room. Erin followed behind, carrying two glasses of tea. Megan set the chips and dip on the octagonal card table in the corner, Erin following with the tea before dipping a chip and biting off a cheese-covered corner.

"I'll rack, you break," Megan suggested. She pulled the rack off the wall and Erin scooped the billiard balls out of the pocket, rolling them across the red felt toward Megan, who set them in the rack for a game. They always did something while they talked about hard things. It was somehow less threatening that way.

"Megan, tell me some more about you and your brother. How did that really play out?" Erin asked without accusation.

"I told you."

"No. You summarized. What really happened?"

Megan sighed as she chalked up a pool cue before handing it to Erin. Megan removed the rack and stood to the side as her friend broke through the triangle of balls, sending one stripe and one solid into the pockets. "Good break," she encouraged.

"Thanks. Four in the side." Erin tapped the cue ball, bumping the four ball into the side pocket. "Solids. Okay, spill it." She wrapped two hands around the cue, leaning on it as she waited for her friend to tell the story.

Megan began talking about her own attraction to her brother and his eventual confession to mutual attraction. As she shared the progression of their relationship, and the ultimate decision not to pursue it sexually any further, she and her friend continued to play pool. Erin called her shots over her friend's retelling, and Megan only interrupted herself to call her next shot or to offer praise for good shots her friend made. They would each wander over to get a chip or tea and the game dragged out longer than it should have because it was honestly more of a distraction than a focused game.

"So that's pretty much it," she said.

Erin nodded as she dipped another chip into the queso. "Thank you. I was just wondering how it compared to our story, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"You have to promise not to repeat what I'm about to tell you."

"I swear." She raised her hand.

"I wasn't really mad at Cory yesterday for fantasizing about me."

"You weren't? Really?"

"Really. The truth is, I fantasize about him, too, but I can't let him know. One of us has to hold our ground. If he found out, then neither one of us would be the strong one. Honestly, that day with you and him at the pool was so hot! I wanted so badly to feel him in me or at least to taste him. It took all my resolve not to taste his cum off your stomach, Meg."

"That would have been amazing!"

"I know, right? And that's the problem. And that's why I can't ever let on that I want him. And it's also why you have to stop pushing for it or even mentioning it ever again. I'm only so strong and I'm afraid if he ever pushed himself on me I wouldn't be able to resist." She sighed. "I'm afraid I may even want him more than he wants me."

"I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's cool. I debated telling you, but I know you love me and if you knew how difficult it was for me to want him and not follow up, that you wouldn't add any more pressure to the temptation." She laughed a little and looked at the ceiling. "God," she laughed, "I must sound like a freak."

Megan quickly embraced her friend and stroked her hair. "No, no. Don't say that. We can't always help what we feel. The heart wants what it wants. I appreciate you sharing your secret with me. I promise I'll never pester you about that again. Even joking. I promise." She stepped back and looked into Erin's eyes. "Okay? Promise."

Erin nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. As far as Megan knew, Erin was crying from feeling like a freak and making a humiliating confession. But for Erin the tears were remorse that she had lied to her best friend, the one she had always been honest with. But she didn't see any other way around it. Her heart ached at what she had done.

"Thank you, Megan," Erin sniffled. "Thank you for understanding and not judging me."

"You know there's no judgment here. I'm your friend. I love you." They hugged again to gain the comfort they both needed. "Of course," Megan said, backing away and dipping a chip, "Just because I'm your friend, doesn't mean I can't still kick your ass at Guitar Hero."

Erin laughed. "You've NEVER kicked my ass at Guitar Hero."

"Apparently you still suck at history."

"Set it up. Prepare to be fucked up the ass by my Gibson, bitch!"

"Mmm, I like the sound of that," Megan smiled.

"Yeah, you say that now."

For the next hour, the two once-again best friends battled it out onstage as if the past 24 hours had never happened.

Cory knocked on his boss's door as soon as the last truck pulled out for the morning.

"Yeah?"

Cory opened the door to Dan's office and stepped inside. "Hey, Dan. You got a minute?"

"Sure, Cory. Have a seat."

Cory closed the door behind him and sat down. Dan swiveled in his chair and opened the dorm refrigerator, pulling out two store-brand sodas, handing one to Cory. "How are things in the warehouse?" he asked, popping his can open as he asked.

Cory opened his and took a sip before answering. "Good, I think. We have most of the strike freight out now. I think we can get the rest of it out tomorrow or maybe by Thursday."

"Great! Listen, Cory, I respect the hell out of you. You know that. I appreciate how hard you and the guys have worked the last few weeks to keep that place in order. Having you guys working so hard downstairs has made it a damn sight easier up here, let me tell you. So thank you for that."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." Cory nodded and took another sip.

"Something on your mind, son?" Dan asked. Dan was in his fifties, slightly overweight, but not obese, and was a kind and respectable man. He started off in the warehouse like Cory is, and he worked hard to make sure the drones and drivers didn't get shit on by administration.

"Yes, sir, but it's not about work. It's personal, but I'm hoping you can help me out."

"I'll do what I can."

"You know my parents recently divorced..." Dan nodded as Cory spoke. "And this will be my mother's first Thanksgiving after the divorce." He took another sip. "Well, I know you have that cabin," he said, pointing to the picture behind Dan on his wall, "and was wondering what the possibility would be of me taking my mom and sister there for Thanksgiving weekend. I mean, I know you rent it out and I know it's a long way off, but I need time to save the money for it. I want it to be a surprise, but I have to have time to make the money for it."

"No you don't." Dan shook his head. "We rent that thing out in the summer and early fall for the leaf change. By mid-October, no one's going up there anyway. I'll make you a deal. You make sure it's winterized before you leave, and it's yours free of charge." Dan smiled.

"Seriously?" Cory smiled.

"Of course. First off, I trust you to take care of it. You've proven your worth. Second, from a business perspective, I'm not losing anything by letting you have it free, so it would simply be a bullshit move for me to keep it from you. Go. Have fun. Relax. And I'll tell you something else: I expect you to miss work the Wednesday before and Monday after so you can take care of your family. It won't count against you. You've earned it."

"Wow. Thanks. Thank you. I don't know what to say."

"Say you won't screw me over by getting slack on the job." Dan stood and extended his hand. Cory followed suit and they both smiled as they shook hands. "Now get the hell out of my office." Dan's face turned serious before he gave Cory a wink.

"Yes, sir. Thank you." Cory shut the door behind him and drifted home on a cloud.

The next few days went by without a hitch. Things were great between Erin and Megan, between Cory and work, and between Michelle and, well, everyone. The three of them had a chance Wednesday night to make love again. This time was more leisurely and gentle, but the intensity of the climaxes was not diminished.

Michelle returned to her desk after a meeting on Thursday morning and saw that she had missed a call from Cory on her cell phone. She checked her voicemail and smiled, her stomach a ball of excitement.

"Hey, Vanessa, this is Cory. I've been thinking about our date this weekend and I think we'll go a little more casual. I'm wearing jeans, just so you know. Dress comfortably so we can just relax for a while. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with you tomorrow night. Be ready by 6:30. We'll start with dinner. See you then."

She replayed the message and smiled.

"Well someone really loves you!"

Michelle jumped with a start and turned around to see Dena standing there with a huge bouquet of red roses and baby's breath.

"Oh, my!" Michelle blushed. Her jaw dropped in surprise. She had not received red roses in more than 25 years. Her eyes began to tear up and Dena set the roses on the front of Michelle's desk before coming around the end to console her.

"He must be a wonderful man for you to be so smitten. And he obviously knows a good woman when he sees one. You hang on to this one."

Michelle simply nodded, unable to remove her focus from the roses. Dena handed her a tissue and told her she would hold her calls until after lunch. Michelle nodded again, dropping into her seat where she began to sob, overwhelmed with love. After a few minutes, she reached for the card in a small pink envelope. Flipping the card over, she read, "For my Venus. I love you. C" This brought a fresh pang of love, accompanied with a smile.

She opened her phone and sent a text to her son. "Someone sent me flowers."

A moment later: "That's odd. Anyone I know?"

"I hope so! Are those for me or Vanessa?"

"How do I choose? ;) "

"You don't have to. They're both very happy."

"I'm glad. I love you both. Very much."

"We love you, too. Very much."

"Did Vanessa get my message?"

"She did. She's so excited!"

"So am I. Gotta go. Love you."

"Love you."

Michelle slumped back in her chair. She felt like a little girl again. She walked around to the front of her desk and smelled the flowers. Picking up the vase, she set them on the bureau behind her desk so she could smell them all day, but would not get distracted by having such a huge arrangement of flowers in front of her. The rest of her day was much better.

By the time Erin got home from Megan's, Cory was already making his "world's best" turkey burgers. They were his mother's favorite and he and Erin both loved them. She came up and greeted him with a kiss while his hands were buried in his mix of ground turkey and various seasonings.